Allies of strongman Vladimir Putin were treated to a lavish banquet on Thursday at the Kremlin as part of Russia’s 80th “Victory Day” anniversary celebrations.
Putin invited genocidal Chinese dictator Xi Jinping along with roughly 30 other heads of state and like-minded individuals to Moscow to participate in Friday’s Victory Day Parade, in which Russia celebrates the end of World War II, downplaying the United States’ critical contributions towards defeating Nazi Germany and praising the Soviet Union.
As part of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, Putin hosted a banquet for the invited heads of state and assorted dignitaries ahead of Friday’s parade. The list of participant heads of state included China’s Xi, Brazil’s radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Venezuela’s socialist dictador Nicolás Maduro, Cuba’s figurehead “President” Miguel Díaz-Canel, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
Other participants included Indian Defense Minister Sanjay Seth, Myanmar Junta Chief Min Aung Hlaing, and Laureano Ortega Murillo, son of Nicaraguan communist dictatorial couple Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
During the banquet, Putin delivered a speech in which he described May 9, Victory Day, as a “sacred day for our multinational people” and claimed that the Soviet Union played a “decisive role in defeating Nazism,” further asserting “it is a historical truth which nobody can hush, distort, or take away from us.”
“Neither will we forget our allies and comrades in that sacred battle, and the fact that Victory was brought about by the concerted efforts of the people of Europe, the United States, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific region, the fortitude and courage of the armed forces of the anti-Hitler coalition, members of the Resistance and national liberation movements, partisans, and members of the underground,” Putin said.
The Russian strongman continued with calls to “make the most of the enormous potential” of the United Nations, stressing that it is the duty of the “generation of victors” to make use of the “vast potential” of the international organization.
“I would like to reiterate that the demand for the UN and its importance are growing today, when a more just world order is being developed,” Putin said. “It is essential to continue to strengthen its central coordinating role in global affairs, and to ensure strict compliance with the fundamental norms and principles of international law, sealed in the U.N. Charter, in their entirety, interconnection, and interrelation.”
“That issue was raised, in particular, at last year’s BRICS summit in Kazan, which many of the heads of delegations present here attended,” he continued.
Putin said that Russia’s 80th Victory Day anniversary celebrations brought to Moscow heads of state of different models of “economic and social development, different religions, world outlooks, civilizations, and cultures,” and claimed that diversity is not a “dividing but an enriching factor, which makes us stronger because our relations and cooperation are based on shared values and aspirations.”
The Russian strongman further claimed, “We stand for justice and equality, for the triumph of the noble ideals of friendship and neighborly relations, for mutual accord and respect.” Putin demanded the international community show “solidarity in addressing the current acute problems, and to assume joint responsibility to our future generations.”
“I am confident that only this approach will help ensure a lasting peace, well-being and equal opportunities for all nations. Russia is ready for this joint creative work,” Putin said, concluding with a toast to the “generation of the victors, to the Great Victory, to peace and prosperity, and to you, our friends.”
Brazil’s Lula da Silva, who is reportedly again attempting to insert himself as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine, reportedly held a brief conversation while the rest of the guests were seating ahead of the banquet. Lula met with Putin after Friday’s parade and availed himself of the opportunity to rant against President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, which he described as “undermining respect for the sovereignty of countries.”
According to the Russian news agency Tass, the banquet featured a selection of traditional Russian and international cuisines including crab salad with strawberries, classic borscht with veal, or Karelian fish soup accompanied by dumplings filled with sturgeon, and pike caviar. The wines, Tass said, came from “Crimea and Southern Russia, specifically from the Kuban River region.”
The menu also featured “delicate fillets of halibut served with miniature vegetables, venison medallions with forest mushrooms, or caramelized duck paired with asparagus,” Tass reported. “For dessert, guests enjoyed apple pie with vanilla ice cream and cloudberry sorbet.”
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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